Process of impregnating porous substances.



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WALLACE APPLETON BEATTY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR, BY DIRECT AND MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, OF THREE -TWENTIETHS TO HORACE HERBERT SMITH' AND ONE-HALF TO JAMES DUDLEY DUSENBERRY, BOTH OF NEW YORK, N. Y., AND ONE-TENTH TO THOMAS A. WITHERSPOON, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

v PROCESS OF IMPREGNATING POROUS SUBSTANCES.

No Drawing.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, IVAL ACE APPLE'roN BENITY, a citizen of the United States, re-

' siding at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Processes of Impregnating Porous Substances; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to Which it appertains tomake and use the same.

Thls invention relates to a novel process of impregnating wood, paper, leather and other porous substances as well as to the novel products produced by said process, and has for its object to provide a process which will be simple and eificientas Well as to produce products which will be less costly and more serviceable than are the similar products now in use.

To these ends the invention consists in the novel steps constituting my process and in the novel products more fully hereinafter disclosed and particularly pointed out 1n I the claims.

In carrying out my process, I preferably thoroughly dry the wood, paper, leather or other porous substance to be impregnated by subjecting it to heat in a chamber from which the air is being exhausted, so that the vacuum thus produced will permit the escape of the moisture or other material filling the pores, and thereupon leave them open. The heat employed will vary with the nature of the substance being impregnated, and of course it is so regulated as not to injuriously affect said substance for the purpose in hand. In the case of ordinary woods, I find that a moderate vacuum- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 6, 1915.

Application filed August 26, 1913. Serial No. 786,814.

entitled Condensation product and process of making same. This gum may be applied to the material to be impregnated in a pure 'and liquid state; or diluted with solvents such as those mentioned in my said application. I prefer however, in most instances to'employ a pressure sufficient to accelerate the operation. In the case of woods, I find a pressure of from 75 to 100 lbs. produces satisfactory results. The time of contact between the liquid and the material is regulated according to the degree of impregnation desired. I prefer to remove the impregnating liquid, and subject the substance to heat and pressure, or to heat in the absence of pressure, or to ordinary tempera tures in the absence of pressure, according to the nature of the material and the results desired. If a thorough impregnationis de-- sired in the case of small pieces 'pf ordinary Woods, with a temperature of 300 F., a pressure of 75 to 100 lbs. and a fairly liquid gum or solution, I find satisfactory results in from an hour and a half to two hours.

Non -metallic substances. impregnated as above are found to be electrical insulators; j water proof; they take a high polish; they resist acids and alkalis; are inactive toward hot oils; and are very much less inflammable than were the original substances. In fact,

cheaper grades of woods thus impregnated are greatly increased in weight and hardness and very closely resemble in appearance and useful qualities the higher and most expensive grades of wood. Especially is this the case when the said synthetic gum is suitably colored (as it may be by adding coloring matter to the solution) to resemble the said higher grades of wood.

In addition to the above, woods may be given a highly artistic appearance by adding various salts to the gum solution and especially when reagents in small quantities are used which will liberate one or more constituents of said salts into the grain of the woods. In suchcases the closeness of the grain in different parts acts as asort of filter to vary the color effects of the salts,

as will be readily understood. But whether wood, paper, cloth, leather-or other porous substances are employed, in each instance a new product is produced which has the qualities inherent in the gum of chemical inertness, hardness, and of being waterproof.

It is obvious that those-skilled in the art may vary the steps of'my process as well as the materials to be impre nated without departing from the spirit of my invention and therefore I do not wish to be limited to the above disclosure except as may be required by the claims. I

What I claim is 1. The process of impregnating porous substances which consists in suitably applying thereto in the form of a liquid 2. synthetic gum obtained as a condensation product of a phenol, a ketone and an aldehyde,

substantially as described.

2. The process of impregnating porous substances which consists in suitably opening the pores of said substances and then applying thereto in the form of a liquid a synthetic gum obtained as a condensation product of a phenol, a ketone and an alde-.

hyde, substantially as described.

3. The process of impregnating porous substances which consists in suitably opening the pores of said substances; and heat- .ing the same while applying thereto in the form of a liquid a synthetic gum obtained as a condensation product of dioXy-diphenyldimethyl-methane and formaldehyde. sub: stantially as described.

4. The process of impregnating porous substances which consists in suitably subjecting said'substances to the action of a vacuum while heating the same to open the pores thereof; and then applying thereto in the form of a liquid a synthetic gumob tained as a condensation product of dioxydiphenyl-dimethyl-methane' and formaldehyde, substantially as described.

I 5. The process of impregnating porous substances which consists in subjecting the same to the action of a vacuum while applying heat thereto in order to open the pores thereof; then applying to said substances in a liquid form a synthetic gum obtained as a condensation product of dioXy-diphenyldimethyl-methane and formaldehyde; and subjecting said substances and applied gum to heat and pressure, substantially as described. a

6. The process of impregnating porous substances which consists in subjecting the same to the action of a vacuum While applying heat thereto in order to open the pores thereof; then applying to said substances in methane and formaldehyde; and subjecting said substances and applied gum to heat and q pressure, substantially as described.

8. The herein described new product consisting of a porous substance impregnated with a synthetic gum obtained as a condensation product of a phenol, a ketone and an aldehyde, and characterized by being water proof, capable of taking a high polish; acid and alkali resisting, inactive toward hot oils,

and unimflammable unless kept in the flame, I

substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I alfix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

WALLACE APPLETON BEATTY- Witnesses:

T. A. WITHERSPOON, U. T. MENGERT. 

